


The Prisoner and the Partner

by FlightlessAngelWings



Series: Equal Partners [4]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, The Mandalorian (TV)
Genre: Canon Compliant, F/M, Gen, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Minor Violence, Mutual Pining, Protectiveness
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-07
Updated: 2020-12-07
Packaged: 2021-03-09 19:47:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,245
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27941768
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FlightlessAngelWings/pseuds/FlightlessAngelWings
Summary: The Razor Crest landed in the docking bay of the cold, dark space station and you and the Mandalorian stepped off the ramp side by side. You were immediately greeted by an old man who extended his hand to your partner.“Mando,” he sounded way too cheerful for the setting, “Good to see you round these parts again,” the two men shook hands before the old man directed his attention to you, “And who is this lovely creature? You’ve got to be the prettiest thing that’s ever walked these halls,” he released Mando and offered his hand to you now, “I’m Ran.”You took it and made sure your grip was extra tight as you gave him your name, “Charmed,” you said in a deadpan voice.“She’s my partner,” Mando cut in, his guard raised. You felt your heart skip a beat at his declaration; you weren’t used to him referring to you like it and honestly you weren’t sure if you’d ever get used to it.
Relationships: Din Djarin/Reader, Din Djarin/You
Series: Equal Partners [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1820476
Kudos: 69





	The Prisoner and the Partner

**Author's Note:**

> Takes place season 1, episode 6

The Razor Crest landed in the docking bay of the cold, dark space station and you and the Mandalorian stepped off the ramp side by side. You were immediately greeted by an old man who extended his hand to your partner.

“Mando,” he sounded way too cheerful for the setting, “Good to see you round these parts again,” the two men shook hands before the old man directed his attention to you, “And who is this lovely creature? You’ve got to be the prettiest thing that’s ever walked these halls,” he released Mando and offered his hand to you now, “I’m Ran.”

You took it and made sure your grip was extra tight as you gave him your name, “Charmed,” you said in a deadpan voice.

“She’s my partner,” Mando cut in, his guard raised. You felt your heart skip a beat at his declaration; you weren’t used to him referring to you like it and honestly you weren’t sure if you’d ever get used to it. 

“Partner, huh? Didn’t take you for the type, Mando. I bet that does wonders for your reputation my dear,” Ran glanced between the two of you, “I was surprised to hear from you, considering the rumor I heard that things weren’t exactly working out with the guild,” he addressed the Mandalorian, but he kept his face on yours.

You kept your face level; you were used to people attempting to read your expressions when they spoke to Mando in hopes that you would give something away. But you had gotten very good at it, and your face never faltered. When Ran didn’t get what he wanted from you, he went on to explain the details of the job: rescue one of their crew who had gotten himself captured. 

Mando wasn’t pleased that his ship would be part of the deal, but Ran only laughed it off. You and Mando shared a look before you both followed him to meet the rest of the crew.

“Mayfeld!” Ran called out to the man as the three of you walked down the hanger, “Come meet Mando and his partner,” he said your name and Mayfeld looked both of you up and down.

“This is the guy you used to run with?” Mayfeld didn’t sound impressed, “What did he get out of your ass hanging around him?”

Ran laughed, “Remember what you said when I asked you that, Mando?” he paused, “‘Target practice.’”

Mayfeld then turned to you, “And I can only guess what he gets out of his partner now.”

Both you and Mando tensed as you shot daggers at his comment. The Mandalorian was about to step forward to retialite, but you gripped onto his wrist to hold him back, “He’s not worth it, Mando,” you whispered to him.

The men brushed off your looks and continued on with their banter as they led you both toward where the Crest was docked. Mando couldn’t help the shade that flew out at Mayfeld’s shooting skills, which pulled a smirk from you.

“Alright, the good-looking guy here is Burg,” Mayfeld gestured to the large man with horns, who approached the two of you.

“So this is a Mandalorian,” he snarled, “Doesn’t look so tough to me.” Burg shifted his gaze to you next and gave you a smirk that made your skin crawl. He was about to say something, but a pointed look from you and the way the Mandalorian stepped closer made him change his mind and he walked away.

“The droid is Zero,” Mayfeld went on as he gestured to the droid. 

“I thought you said there were four,” Mando said.

A feminine voice echoed from the shadows, “There are.”

Mando turned toward the voice, “Xi’an.”

The purple twi’lek sauntered up with a smirk, but her face immediately turned to a scowl when she saw you next to the Mandalorian. She lunged at you with her knife drawn, but you quickly pulled out your own knife and easily blocked her. You sparred with her a few times as she tried to attack you again, but you were able to counter every time. It didn’t take you long to disarm her and hold your own knife to her throat.

Mayfeld and the others seemed to enjoy the sight before them as they cheered on your little fight, but the Mandalorian wasn’t amused. He let you fight it out, though, and only intervened when you clearly had the upper hand. Mando placed a hand on your arm to get you to ease up, and you reluctantly lowered your weapon.

“You replaced me so easily, Mando?” Xi’an looked past you and addressed him with a pout, “I’ve missed you.”

It was Ran that stepped in between the three of you, “Alright, alright. Break it up. We got a job to do, remember?”

Murmurs of agreement ripped through the little group and they gathered their supplies to load into the ship. Xi’an side stepped around you and gave Mando a wink as she joined the rest of them. That just left you and your partner alone for a moment.

You leaned in close to him and spoke in a hushed voice, “You sure this is a good idea, Mando? I don’t trust them.”

His answer was quick, “The only one here I trust is you. Keep your guard up.” That pulled a quick smile from you before you followed him onto the ship.

The mistrust was only more solidified when you and Mando learned that it was a New Republic prison ship that you were infiltrating, and he was even more irritated that the droid was to pilot his ship. Tension was definitely high in the cabin as you all stood close to each other in the small space.

“Someone tell me why we even need a Mandalorian,” Blurg spat.

Mayfeld chimed in with a tone that was clearly meant to annoy you both, “They’re supposed to be the greatest warriors in the galaxy,” he looked Mando dead on, “Too bad they’re all dead.”

Blurg and Xi’an snickered. You could feel the Mandalorian tense next to you, and you had to fight back the urge to fight them then and there. Instead, you subtly gave his wrist a quick squeeze while they were distracted. It seemed to work, and you could feel him relax slightly at your touch.

“Mando is the real deal though,” Xi’an spoke, “Remember that job on Alzoc 3?” her eyes invited a challenge and boy did you want to go another round with her.

“I did what I had to,” he broke his silence, and you could hear the pain underlying in his voice. You knew he had a past, and you knew that there were things he wasn’t proud of. But it never deterred you, and you didn’t push the subject at all. You still respected him regardless because the man he was now was someone better.

She rose from where she sat, “Oh but you liked it. See, I know who you really are…” she was about to continue but you cut her off.

“No you don’t.” All eyes turned to you.

“And you do?” Mayfeld scoffed, “How can you really know a man whose face you’ve never seen?” he stepped closer to you in an attempt to intimidate you, “Haven’t you ever wondered what he looks like under that helmet? What if you don’t like what you see if you do find out?”

You held yourself strong, “You think you’re so tough, don’t you?” you leaned forward with your hands on your hips, “Fine, mock his creed, call me a whore. It’s fine because it means nothing coming from you. Mando and I have both grown from the people we used to be. But you? You all will never climb up from the dirt you dug yourselves in,” you paused to appreciate the shocked looks on all their faces, “I don’t need to see his face to know him. And what I do know is that he is more of a man than either of you two will ever be.” 

Mando tilted his hard to the side and beamed at you with pride from under his helmet. No one had ever stood up for him like that before, but you did without hesitation. It made the feelings that he had tried so hard to bury rise again. 

Your words definitely got under their skin, and Blurg charged forward at you in a fit of rage. You were about to engage him when Mando stepped in and clashed weapons with the large horned man. Blurg took the opportunity to try and lift the helmet off, but Mando was easily able to block and counter. The two scuffled for a minute until they knocked up against the wall, which caused a door to open to reveal the child Mando had kept hidden.

Mayfeld and Xi’an stared at the little creature and you quickly rushed over and scooped him up in your arms to keep him safe.

“What the…” Mayfeld exclaimed, “Did you two make that?” he gestured between Mando and Xi’an, “Or did you two?” he pointed to you, and you only scowled in response.

Before anyone could say anything else, Zero’s voice rang through the ship to announce that they were about to land. Without warning, the ship rocked back and forth, and everyone lost their balance. Mando immediately ran over to you and he caught you before you hit the floor, the child now extra safe in both of your arms. He didn’t let go until the movement stilled and he silently asked if you were ok with a squeeze on your arm before he released his grip.

“And we are docked,” Zero’s voice rang though and the Crest was finally still.

There was still a palpable tension in the room, but the rest of the crew was now too focused on the job to push things, and it was Mayfeld that spoke up first, “Alright Mando. You’re up.”

The Mandalorian got to work to open the latch to the prison while you moved to your workstation and set yourself up at your holo tablet. As much as you wanted to stay at Mando’s side, he insisted you stayed on the ship to watch the child and be his eyes.

“You know we have the droid for that right?” Xi’an spoke to you in a condescending tone, but you ignored it as you placed your communicator in your ear.

Mando released the hatch and stood to address her before he spoke, “I don’t trust the droid. And she’s just as fast.”

Blurg scoffed, “Doubt it.”

You rolled your eyes at their comments as Mando looked over his shoulder at you. The rest of the crew jumped one by one down the hatch as you and him had a silent conversation before he followed behind. You took a deep breath as the map to the prison loaded on your screen. As you checked the comms, their tracking signatures showed and you had eyes just at the same time as the droid did.

“Zero, give us a path,” Mayfeld spoke into the comms.

Both you and Zero calculated the route and both of your voices rang through at the same time, “Follow the hallway, left at the juncture.” All faces turned to the Mandalorian in disbelief. It was almost unheard of that someone could be as fast at calculations as a droid, yet here you were.

“I told you she was just as fast,” he said nonchalantly. 

“Heads up, you’re about to have some company,” it was your voice and not Zero’s that came through with a warning just before a group of doors rounded the corner.

You were on the edge of your seat as you listened to Mando fight off the attacking group of droids. The child sat on the table next to your holo tablet, seemingly oblivious to the danger as he cooed away. It helped you relax though, to see him so carefree, and you wondered if he felt safe under your watch.

But, the longer they were in the prison corridors, the more unease you felt. And everything seemed to go wrong from the attacking droids to the human they encountered in the command center with a tracking beacon that he activated. You grabbed your clicker communicator that was just for you and Mando and clicked a secret message to him.

Something doesn’t feel right. Watch your back.

Your fears were soon confirmed when the group trapped the Mandalorian in the prisoner, Qin’s, place. Immediately, you tried to hack the door, but Zero blocked your every attempt. Luckily, the droid was not aware of your secret channel with Mando and he was able to send you a message.

Cut the power.

You sure? That would mean that he would be on his own to escape and get back to the Crest, but it also meant that Zero couldn’t communicate with the others. It was a risk, but it was one that Mando was willing to take.

Do it.

With a curse under your breath and a hard swallow, you did as he asked as everything went silent. You pushed all your devices away and leaned back with a sigh. You knew the Mandalorian was more than capable of handling himself in dangerous situations, yet you couldn’t help but worry for him. And you couldn’t even pinpoint exactly when it started. It just happened one day you suddenly were scared for his safety, and your mind hadn’t shut up about it since.

The child’s babbling brought you out of your thoughts and you smiled at him as he shuffled along the space. But your face turned into a frown when you heard Zero move around in the cockpit, which is where the kid was moving toward. Something told you that the droid meant trouble and you rushed over and picked the child up before he could make his way to the cockpit.

With the child in your arms, you strained to listen for what the droid was up to. You could hear him attempt to communicate with Mayfeld, but it was in vain since you had already cut communications. But when you heard him shuffle and move around, you knew it meant trouble. 

Your first instinct was to protect the baby, so you quickly moved across the ship to place him on the cot in the safe room. Just as you were about to close the door, you heard someone approach behind you and you spun halfway around with your blaster drawn only to be met with Zero’s own blaster in your face. You stared him down as you used your body to shield the child. 

“Lower your weapon,” you ordered.

“You and the Mandalorian are traitors to the guild,” Zero replied flatly, “And that child is coming with me.”

“Kill me if you want, just don’t hurt the child,” you held your voice firm.

Neither you nor the droid budged in your standoff. Out of the corner of your eye, you could see the child raise his arm, and you could tell by the look on his face that he was trying to use his powers. You kept your eyes on the child as you silently encouraged him. He closed his eyes as he tried to summon any energy toward the droid.

Zero’s blaster clicked as he held steady on the trigger, and you swallowed hard, unsure of what the outcome would be. 

You nearly jumped out of your skin when you heard a blaster fire, and you braced yourself for the pain. But it never came. You furrowed your brows in confusion as you stared at the child, who looked at his little hand, equally as confused. But, when you turned around, you saw the Mandalorian where the droid was. 

A smile quickly grew on your face as you exhaled, “Perfect timing, Mando.”

He stepped past Zero’s body and cupped your face with one hand and the child with the other, “You two alright?” he asked as he looked between you and the child.

“We’re fine,” your voice came out weaker than you meant for it to, but you always melted whenever he caressed your face like that. He had no idea how much you loved it when he did that. His touch lingered for a moment before he finally pulled away and picked up the child while he muttered something about leaving, though you didn’t fully hear him over the sound of your heart pounding.

It was then that you noticed the twi’lek man in the shadows. He radiated arrogance, and you immediately didn’t like him. He took a step toward you with a smirk on his face, but Mando pushed him back.

“Don’t try anything Qin,” Mando warned before he placed a hand on your back to guide you to the cockpit.

When you reached the station again, you stayed in the cockpit in the pilot’s seat while Mando delivered Qin back to Ran. You shivered and blocked out his voice when you heard him ask about you, and you took the moment to reflect on how Mando had been so protective of you during this job. But you didn’t have the time to think for too long as he was soon back next to you and you took off just in time before the group of X-wings flew in from hyperspace. 

The child babbled happily from his seat and played with the knob from the control switch while Mando stood over your shoulder. Once you set the ship into hyperspace, you stood to face him and you realized just how close the two of you were.

But your thoughts were brought back when he broke the silence with your name, “Thank you,” he paused and placed a hand on your arm, “For what you said back there.”

You smiled at him as your heart soared. If you were to say anything to him, you figured now would be the time. “Mando…”

A beep from the console cut you off and you both turned to see the blink indicating an incoming transmission. Mando scooted past you to sit in the pilot seat and played the message from Greef. The two of you watched his message with bated breaths as he explained his proposition to betray and kill the client in order to stop the constant influx of bounty hunters who were after the child.

When the message was finished you let out a heavy sigh, “You think it’s a trap?”

He turned to you, “Very possibly,” he paused again and you could tell he was going through his options in his head, “But we don’t have much choice.”

Both of you turned to look at the child, who had fallen asleep. You had grown fond of the little creature during his time with the pair of you, and you knew that Mando felt the same way.

“We’ll protect him, Mando. I promise,” you said, “I’ll fly for now. Get some rest,” you gestured for him to stand so you could take over for the time being.

As he stood, you were only inches away from him once more. But this time you fought to keep your emotions in check. You’d tell him when this was all over.

Mando mumbled a thanks before he stepped away and into his quarters. “I’ll protect you both,” he whispered to himself once he was alone. 

**Author's Note:**

> Follow my writing tumblr @FlightlessAngelWings! :)


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